Mat.



C. J. PETERSON.

' MAT.

APPL'lcAnoN man 11,111.1. 191e 1,190,948. l Patented Ju1y11,1916.

, SHEET 2 SHEETS l 1 C IEW" f1 'c.1. PETERSON.

MAT.

APPLICATION msn ma. 1. 191e.

1,1 90,948. Patented. July 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHRISTEN J'. PETERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed March 7, 1916. Serial No. 82,568.

ful Improvements in Mats, of which the fol-y lowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to an openwork mat used for floor coverings at en-v trances, and for other purposes to which mats of this type are generally employed.

One object of the invention is toprovide a mat of Vopenwork formation, which is com-A posed partially of metal and partially of l are bent to extend in an undulating manner a friction composition or material.

A further object of the invention is to .so construct the sections of the mat as to render the mat flexible and capable of being folded.

A further object of the-invention is to produce a mat which is cheap and simple of construction and durable in use.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the friction material or composition so that it extends in undulating ,paths across the various sections, thus giving an openwork formation to the mat and, at the same time, presenting a substantial expanse of friction material on both the upper and lower sides of the mat; and to bind this friction material or composition upon its sides with a metal binding or frame, preventing it from getting out of shape.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is afpl'an'view of'one form of mat of the present invention ;V

Fig. 2, a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8, an enlarged perspective of a portion of one of the mat sections; Fig. Ll, a plan view of a second form of mat of the present invention; Fig. 5, a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 6, a perspective detail, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of one of the matl sections of Fig. 1t.

In the art to which the present invention relates, openwork mats have heretofore been constructed of metal, in which each mat section comprised a metallic member extending in undulating fashion from side to side of the mat. An objection Vwas present in mats of this character, that the sharp metal edge would scratch or mar the floor and the mat would easily slide under pressure of the foot, this latter being a highly objectionable".

feature in mat constructions.

The present invention deals with a mat of openwork formation, which is provided with a substantial expanse of friction material, thereby insuring its adherence to the-surface I upon which it is placed and eliminating the undesirable quality of slippingv under pressure of the foot.

. Referring now to the drawings, and to that form 'shown in Figs.. l, 2, and 3, the mat as therev illustrated comprises a series of sections'?, each of which is formed by a metallic strip 8 and a metallic strip 9, which from side to side of the mat; and this undulating formation produces a series of what may be termed side walls 10, connected together by cross walls 11. The sections 8 and 9 are spaced vapart from one another to form an opening 12; and into this opening is inserted a section of friction material'l, as, for instance, fibrous material treated with a suitable composition. Or the material may be of such other composition or substance as may be suitable for use in this connection. The metal strips 8 and 9, as will be seen from Figs'.2 and 3, are of less height than the friction material, so that the friction material projects above the metal edges on both sides of the mat, and a facing of said'material is therefore present on both the upper and lower sides of the mat. The strips 8 and 9, together with the friction material interposed therebetween, are yformed with alined holes 14, through which pass rods, cables, or links 15. These rods, cables, or links are secured in any suitable manner against longitudinal withdrawal through the mat, and they constitute hinges about which the various mat sections maybe folded, so as to render the mat of the flexible joint variety. The ends of the opening 12 formed by the strips 8 and 9 are closed by means of a section of metal 15a extending thereacross, so that the friction material heldbetween these metal strips and lying within theopenings formed by the strips is surrounded by a metal casing, which serves to reinforce and strengthen it and prevent its getting out of shape when pressure is exerted. thereon. If found desirable, coils of wire 16 may be provided at the end of the mat, as shown.

Referring now to the mats shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the principle of construction and operation is the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In the construction shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, a metal strip 17 is employed, which is bent to extend in undulating formation from side to side of the mat; and, in addition, there is provided a series of relatively short metal strips 18, which extend parallel with the strip 17 for a distance to provide openings 19, which openings, by reason of the formation of the metal strips, are bounded by what may be termed side walls 20, with a connecting wall 21 between the side walls. And these metal strips are bent, as at 22, to close the end of these openings. Into these openings are positioned sections of friction material or composition 23, which, as is the case in the construction of Figs. 1, 2 and 8, may be of any suitable composition or material for this purpose. rl`he various metal strips and sections of friction material are provided with alined holes 24C, through which extend rods 25, as in the construction previously described, thus making this mat also of the so-called flexible nature.

In both styles of construction, there are provided relatively narrow strips of friction material extending in an undulating formation, thereby providing and offering a substantial amount of this material for contact with the floor and with the foot of the user, giving to the mat the necessary gripping qualities, so that it will not move under pressure of the foot, and providing a mat with a cushioning substance, which will eliminate the danger of floors becoming scratched by contact with sharp metal edges. In each case the mats are of the folding variety, and the difference lies in the particular form of metal strip which is used to provide the opening that receives the friction composition or substance; and in each case, the metal forming the walls of the channels is so formed as to diverge from the cross wall. This permits of adjoining portions of adjacent sections telescoping with one another, allowing them to be hinged together by the rods 15 and making a continuing surface of friction material.

I claim:

1. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another and bent to provide a winding opening,- friction material in said opening, and a flexible connection between said sections, substantially as described.

l2. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another and bent to provide a winding opening closed at its ends, and friction material in said opening, substantially as described.

3. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another and bent to provide a winding opening, friction material in said opening, and the metallic strips of one section telescoping with the metallic strip of the adjacent section, substantially as described.

4. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section composed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another and bent to provide a winding opening, said strips forming a series of outwardly diverging side walls, with a connecting wall therebetween, friction material in said opening, the metallic strips of one section telescoping with the strips of the next adjacent section, said strips and friction material being provided with alined holes, and a member passing through said holes to form a flexible joint between the sections, substantially as described. v

5. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another to provide an opening, said strips extending parallelly and in a winding path from edge to edge of the mat, and friction material in said opening, the ends of the sections being bent to form a metallic closure at the ends of the opening, substantially as described.

6. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another to provide an opening, said strips extending parallelly and in a winding path from side to side of the mat, and forming a series of diverging side walls for the opening with connecting walls therebetween forming a series of U-shaped I parts, friction material in said opening, and the narrow portion of the U-shaped parts of one section extending into the wide portions of the U-shaped parts of the next adjacent section, substantially as described.

7. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of metallic strips spaced apart from one another to provide an opening, said strips extending parallelly and in a winding path from edge to edge of the mat, and forming a series of diverging side walls for the opening with connecting walls therebetween, friction material in said opening, the' strips of one section telescoping with the strips of the next adjacent section, said strips and friction material being provided with alined holes, and a member passing through said holes to form a flexible connection between the mat sections, substantially as described.

8. A mat comprising a series of sections, each section formed of oppositelydisposed bent metallic strips spaced apart from one another throughout the entire distance of said opposed relation to provide a winding opening between said strips, and friction material in said opening, said friction material winding in correspondence to the bend of said strips, substantially as described.

9. A mat comprising a series of sections, terial to maintain said material in shape, ecl; section emboding ari1 elongated strip substantially as described. o riction materia exten in@ in Win in formation from edge to edge ozfD the mat, and CHRISTEN J' PETERSON' V5 metallic strips engaging the sides and ends Witnesses:

of the friction material to form a complete C. L. MURPHY, frame about said sides and ends of said ma- C. METZELDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the"Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

